Chapter Three
it's just so perfect
The forest was cold, and Luna gave an involuntary shiver as she quickly strode off the path and through the trees. The thestrals lived deep in the forest, where it was quite dark, but that didn't bother her. She didn't mind darkness. People were so scared of the unknown sometimes. They were closed-minded and needed to see things to believe them. The world was infinitely more beautiful when you just accepted it for how it was.
As the dancing girl approached the clearing, she heard a voice speaking very softly. Curious, she sped up and silently peered through the trees. There, sitting in the grass with the head of a baby thestral on her lap, was the most beautiful girl Luna had ever seen.
The other girl's hair was tangled from being in the forest, but you could see that it was a gorgeous shade of brown. To Luna, the few leaves and blades of grass in it seemed like a crown. There was a certain earthy, peaceful quality to her that made you forget the world around you and immediately feel at ease.
By her robes, Luna knew that she was another Hogwarts student, and by her height and body, she figured that she must have been in fifth or sixth year. Suddenly, the other girl stopped speaking as she noticed that she was being watched.
"Oh. Hello," she said.
"You have a beautiful voice," Luna replied.
"Thank you. That's very kind," the girl stammered, blushing.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about! It's wonderful! I can't hold a tune. But my mother could... before she died. I was nine." Luna had a tendency to be almost painfully honest and open with people.
"I'm sorry." She paused. "But that's why you can see the thestrals, isn't it? Because you know somebody who's died. My brother was killed by a Death Eater when I was three. It was horrible." She sat and thought about it for a few seconds, looking depressed, but she quickly shook it off and asked Luna brightly, "What's your name?"
"Oh. I'm... I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood."
"I'm Emily. So, what brings you to the Forbidden Forest, Luna?"
"Well, I finished my Potions essay, and I was just going to start on McGonnagall's Transfiguration homework when I decided I fancied a walk. And you?" She tilted her head questioningly...
"Oh, I come out here loads. It's so quiet and dark. People don't seem to like it very much when I'm around, and I don't care to bother them." Emily gestured for Luna to come and sit next to her. She took Luna's hand and placed it on the bony neck of the thestral on her lap. A jolt of electricity shot through the air between them.
Suddenly, Luna held Emily's gaze and stared into her hazel eyes. There was a shocking depth to them, as if the whole world was contained inside an orb of brown and green. She caught the reflection of the trees and of her own face in those eyes. She knew Emily could feel it to. They were just... so... perfect... And her lips...
Emily quickly backed away. "I like you Luna. I really do. But it's getting dark and we'll get detention if we stay here after dinner. I mean, I know Hagrid's nice and all, but..." she trailed off, having realized that she was babbling.
"It's fine. It's wonderful, in fact," all of a sudden, she stood up very straight. "Emily of the Forbidden Forest, will you meet me by the lake tomorrow at noon?" Luna stated, strangely formal.
"Yes, Luna Lovegood, I will with pleasure," replied Emily immediately and gave a stiff little bow. They were silent for a minute, then both girls burst out laughing. Grabbing each other's hands, they sprinted towards the castle leaving they're laughter echoing through the trees and grounds behind them.